By The Tampa Bay Rays are moving closer to a future across the bay, but former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, now running for mayor of St. Petersburg, says the city should not give up on its baseball team.
Crist wants the Rays to stay
Charlie Crist, a current candidate for mayor of St. Petersburg, wants the Rays to stay in the city.
Crist is running against incumbent Mayor Ken Welch in the Nov. 3 mayoral runoff. He says he would try to convince the Rays to remain in St. Petersburg.
“I would give it everything I can to convince them to stay in St. Petersburg,” Crist told WUSF in July.
But plans across the bay are already well underway.
Tampa City Council and the Hillsborough County Commission approved agreements in August for a $2.36 billion ballpark on Hillsborough College’s Dale Mabry campus near Raymond James Stadium.
The Rays are expected to contribute about $1.37 billion and cover cost overruns. Hillsborough County’s contribution is $796 million, while Tampa’s portion is $80 million. Opening is targeted for the 2029 season.
That leaves Crist trying to change the direction of a project that already has major government approvals.
Could Tampa help attendance?
Attendance has been an issue for the Rays for years. Fans online regularly joke about empty seats at Tropicana Field.
The numbers have given them plenty to talk about.
The Rays averaged 16,515 fans in 2024. In 2023, the average was 17,781.
Location has long been part of the problem.
The proposed Dale Mabry site would shorten the trip for many fans in Hillsborough County and communities to the north and east. Fans traveling from areas such as Pasco and Polk counties would no longer need to cross the bay to attend a game.
A Tampa location will not automatically fill the seats. Ticket prices, team performance, and the game-day experience still matter.
But putting the Rays closer to more of the region could remove a major obstacle and help the club reach fans who rarely make the trip to St. Petersburg.
Could the move change the Rays brand?
The stadium saga has also put the Rays in the spotlight.
Crist wants them to stay. Tampa is preparing for their arrival. Fans are debating the move, while local governments discuss costs and development.
For the Rays, all that noise could have an upside.
A new ballpark in a more central location could introduce the team to a wider audience and help strengthen its identity in a market shared with the Buccaneers and the Lightning.
The Rays have often won without matching that success at the gate. A move gives the organization a chance to change that narrative.
The stadium itself cannot create a fan base.
So, the next thing to watch, besides baseball, is the general election results on Nov.3.
